German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said there would be no large-scale arms exports to Turkey unless Deniz Yucel, a Turkish-German journalist, is released from prison.
Gabriel dismissed reports that an arms export agreement was sealed during the visit of NATO ally Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at the weekend.
Although Turkey is a vital partner in the anti-ISIS fight, Gabriel noted that the “German federal government does not approve a large number of arms exports,” according to Deutsche Welle Turkce. “The situation will remain like this unless the [Deniz] Yucel case is resolved,” Gabriel said, referring to the journalist’s imprisonment. The jailing of German nationals remains a source of friction between the two NATO allies.
Read the full story on our sister site, The Globe Post Turkey: ‘No Arms Sale to Turkey Unless Jailed Journalist Yucel Is Released’